Forging machine



Jan. 5, 1960 L. L. HERCIK 2,919,610

' FORGING MACHINE Filed Jan. 26, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 400 A. fl'fic/K JTTOlF/VEYJ L. L. HERCIK FORGING MACHINE Jan. 5, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 26, 1955 hi 2 7 A a 4 W U 4. M. 4 W4 a .5 w

INVENTOR 44.0 A. Haw/K BY 4, 92m

United States Patent This invention relates to improvements in a slide and more particularly to a horizontally reciprocable header slide for a heavy-duty forging machine.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a member, such as a forging slide, having an elongated opening therethrough with one or both end surfaces machined by a rotary tool and adapted to receive one or more segments for providing one or more reciprocating bearing surfaces for a head adapted to reciprocate in said opening.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a member, such as a forging slide, having a tool mounting recess with its tool back-up end machined by a rotary tool and having a segment nested against this surface to provide a flat back-up surface for the tool.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a header slide for a heavy-duty forging machine having a recess formed in one side thereof intermediate its opposite ends to accommodate a rotatable shaft for reciprocating the slide after the slide recess is placed over the shaft during assembly into one side of the machine, said slide having 'a built-up, bridging portion opposite the open end of the recess to make the slide rigid, to prevent springiness and bending, and to eliminate the necessity for assembling tie bars across the open end of the recess from the opposite side of the machine to provide suflicient rigidity.

- A further object of the present invention is to provide a slide with a built-up portion, as set forth in the preceding paragraph, with said built-up portion being of sulficient height to surround, as a guard, a slide reciprocating mechanism on the rotating shaft and to receive a cover plate to protect and guard said mechanism.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a' header slide assembly for a heavy-duty forging machine characterized by its structural simplicity, economy of tion and the essential features will be set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is atop plan view of a heavy-duty forging machine having the header slide assembly of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2--2 of Fig. 3 of the header slide assembly from the heavy-duty forging machine in Fig. l but with the protective cover and the tool removed; while Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the lines 3-3 of Figs. 1 and 2 through the header slide assembly.

' Before the header slide assembly for a heavy-duty forging machine here illustrated is specifically described, it

apparent from the accompanying drawings and descrip- Patented Jan. 5, 1960 is to be understood that the invention here involved is not limited to the structural details or arrangement of parts here shown since structures embodying the present invention may take various forms. It also is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology herein employed is for purposes of description and not of limitation since the scope of the present invention is denoted by the appended claims.

While this invention might be adapted to various types of machines, I have chosen to show the same as applied to a heavy-duty forging machine of the type illustrated.

The illustrated construction can be described in genera! as including a rigid, massive header slide horizontally disposed in a frame and reciprocable by means of a rotatable drive shaft and an eccentric driving connection on the shaft with the driving connection acting on the slide intermediate its ends. Near its upper edges, the slide is provided with laterally extending parallel bearing portions extending both forwardly and rearwardly from the driving connection. The lower and upper bearing surfaces of these portions lie respectively in two parallel common planes extending forwardly and rearwardly of the driving connection and cooperate respectively with complementary surfaces on the forging machine frame beneath the bearing portions, and caps secured to the frame which overlie the bearing portions.

In Fig. l, the heavy-duty forging machine includes in general the frame or bed 10 having mounted therein for reciprocating horizontal movement a header slide 11, a die slide 12, and a toggle slide 13 with the latter operating gripping dies 14, 15. Header and toggle slide 11, 13 are reciprocated in a substantially horizontal direction by suitable driving connections driven by a common rotatable drive shaft 16 journaled in frame 10 and driven by gear 17 by any suitable power source. The workpiece is introduced into the machine through opening 18 in frame 10, is gripped between stationary die 14 and movable die 15, and is'formed by blows delivered by a tool or die 19 detachably secured to header slide 11 in a manner to be brought out in further detail hereinafter.

Header slide 11 is a rigid, massive, elongated member having a generally one-piece construction and is adapted to reciprocate back and forth horizontally in a channelshaped recess in machine frame 10. Slide 11 has two laterally disposed, here shown as laterally extending from the body of the slide, bearing portions 11a, 11b in Figs. 1 and 2 with all portions having coplanar upper surfaces and coplanar lower surfaces generally parallel to each other with the lower surfaces adapted to reciprocate longitudinally on a way means provided by laterally spaced apart, outwardly facing, coplanar way surfaces 10a, 10a inFig. l of frame 10 extending transversely to shaft ld. In the present disclosure, the tops of the upper surfaces of bearing portions 11a, 11b are flush with the top of the slide, and machine frame 10 is recessed to permit location of the slide therein while suspended from the ways 10a. Having bearing portions 11a, 11b near the top of the slide instead of at the bottom practically eliminates the possibility of dirt, scale and water coming in contact therewith. Bearing portions 11a, 11b on each side extend substantially the entire length of header slide 11 except over drive shaft 16. Suitable opposite parallel guide surfaces are provided on frame 10 to restrict the slide against lateral movement. After placement of slide 11 downwardly upon the outwardly facing ways 10a, 16a, upward movement of slide 11 is prevented by caps 21, 22 secured to frame 10 by bolts 23 and providing bearing surfaces on their undersides to provide a sliding contact with the upper surfaces of bearing portions 11a, 11b. a

Tool or die 19 is adjustably and dctachably mounted at the forward end of header slide 11 by placement in a tool mounting recess or pocket 11c of any suitable construction but herein shown as extending through the slide from top to bottom, formed in and aligned with the midportion of the slide working face or side, and having an opening leading end extending deep into the slide with opposite, generally parallel side walls extending in the direction of slide member reciprocation longitudinally of the slide. The inner or rearward end of recess 110 has slide wedge member extending slidably between the opposite parallel walls, having a rear surface 25b bearing against any suitable tapered surface at its rear carried by the slide, and having a vertically and transversely extending, straight, leading front surface 25a extending perpendicular to the direction of reciprocation for backing up tool 19 in the manner illustrated while tool 19 may be held down in recess 110 by strap 24 bolted to slide 11.

Suitable tool adjusting means is provided for moving wedge 25 relative to slide 11 to advance or retract tool 19. In the present construction this takes the form of a bracket 25c integral with wedge 25 adjustable upwardly against the taper of rear surface 25!) by an adjustment screw 26 threaded into a hole in bracket 25c and bearing downwardly against fiat disk insert 27 recessed into the surface of slide 11. This construction permits adjusting the longitudinal position of the tool on slide 11 and the changing of the tool pressure against the workpiece when slide 11 is in its on-center or most forward position of its reciprocation.

Drive means is provided for reciprocating slide 11 by rotation of transversely extending shaft 16. This takes the form in the present disclosure of a Scotch yoke type mechanism. An elongated transversely (vertically) extending opening lid is formed in slide .31 intermediate its front and rear ends as a through opening extending completely through the slide from top to bottom. This opening 11d has a substantially closed perimeter and provides suitable bearing surfaces thereon to permit reciprocation of head member element or sliding box 30 by an eccentric driving connection on shaft 16, here shown as a circular cam 16a eccentrically mounted thereon so as to reciprocate head 30 vertically in opening 11d and to reciprocate slide 11 longitudinally in a horizontal direction upon rotation of shaft 16. Head 11 includes blocks 31, 32 in Fig. 3 having outer sliding bearing surfaces provided by gibs 37 keyed thereto on opposite sides and secured thereto by screws 38, connected together by stud and nut connections 33, and rotatably embracing cam 16a by bushing halves 34 secured to the respective blocks by screws 35.

This particular design has certain advantages. It should be noted that the diameter of cam 16a in Fig. 3 is approximately at least as great as the corresponding transverse or vertical dimension of the working or left face of slide 11 in Fig. 3 with the axis of shaft 16 longitudinally aligned behind substantially the mid-portion of this working face. This construction has many advantages over a pitman mechanism for reciprocating slide 11 including: a higher operating efficiency by delivering more output power in the forging blow for a given input power to the machine; a large bearing area between sliding head 30 and cam 16a as well as slide 11 to exert a lower pressure per square inch therebetween and to distribute the blow over a large area of the slide working front face; location of the bearings of shaft 16 near the slide center line for a better force distribution; reduction in main shaft deflection, fatigue and early failure; minimized tendency to create a moment to rotate slide 11 about its horizontal transverse axis and raise one end thereof on impact with tool 19 located above or below center on the working face because the large diameter of cam 16a delivers primarily a large horizontal force component to the slide and only a small vertical component; greater rigidity to minimize deflection, accurate guiding of slide 11, and uniform wear of the parts; and more accurate forging produced with minimum tool or die wear.

Problems have been encountered in machining the tool back-up surface of tool mounting recess 11c and in machining the fore and aft bearing surfaces for head members 38 in opening 11d since it is difficult to machine internally in said slide flat bearing surfaces extending the full wides of recess 11c and opening 11d. Opening 11d is an elongated opening extending transversely through the slide a substantial distance and having a greater width in one direction than the other and having a substantially closed perimeter about the width dimension so as to be difficult to machine. For example, opening 11d has front and rear bearing surfaces approximately 24 inches long and only about six inches wide. Machining of the surfaces of either opening 11d 0r recess would either require substantial overhang of the tool of a universal machine tool so as to make machining dilficult or require a special and costly setup, such as a special broach. Applicant has discovered that it is easier and less expensive to machine these surfaces by a rotating tool, such as a boring bar, and then insert suitably machined segments to form the flat surfaces. The boring bar may be rotatably supported on both ends if necessary and desirable to reduce deflection caused by long overhang. These boring operations form arcuate portions llr, 11s, and tilt in Figs. 2 and 3 of circular cylinders of uniform cross section (although a cylinder of any suitable, easily machined cross section would be satisfactory) with the first two, 111' and 11s, having parallel axes extending in the direction of repciprocation of head 39 and generally transverse to the reciprocation of slide 11 and the cylinder forming arcuate portion 11:, preferably inclined with respect thereto. Two separate boring operations are required to machine arcuate portions 11r, lls since they are portions of separate circular cylinders because of the elongated shape of opening 11d.

Header slide 11 includes a bearing member or unit at each end of opening 11d with a plurality of segments 41, 42 and 43 nested in arcuate surface 111' forming the cylinder thereof and a segment 44 of the circular cylindrical surface formed by surface 11s nested in this surface 11s with all segments secured to slide 11 by either screws 46, a weld, or other suitable attachment means. Bearing plate 47 is secured to segment 42 of the slide by screws 48 so as to be surrounded on three sides by segments 41, 42 and 43 in Fig. 2 while having a flat way surface 47a on its fourth side carried opposite generally the mid-point of arcuate surface 111- and extending perpendicular to the greater width dimension of opening 11d. Segments 41 and 43 not only straddle bearing plates 47 but also head 30 to retain this head against excessive lateral movement.

The rearward end of tool member mounting recess 11c is machined in a similar manner to form an arcuate surface portion 11t of an inclined circular cylinder and then a segment 50 of said cylinder is nested against surface llt and welded, screwed or otherwise secured to slide 11. The fiat, transversely extending but inclined front surface 50a of segment 50 provides a bearing surface for backing up rear surface 25b of slide wedge member 25 to permit vertical adjustment of wedge 25 by screw 26 in the manner previously described.

This construction permits flat surfaces to be formed in elongated openings having a narrow width compared with their long through length by machining the surfaces by a rotating tool, such as a boring bar, and then inserting segments therein to provide the flat surfaces. These arcuate surfaces, formed by portions of circular cylinders, center the longitudinal blows exerted rearwardly by tool i9 and forwardly and rearwardly by head 30, provide a greater surface area over the arcuate surfaces so that there is a smaller force load per square inch, and provide segments 41, 43 as well as coacting side walls of tool mounting recess 11c to restrict against lateral movement.

The illustrated form is preferred, but, if desired, suitable modifications may be made. For example, tool segment 50 may be secured to slide wedge member 25 instead of slide member 11. Bearing plate 47 may be secured to head member element 30 instead of segment elements 41, 42 and 43 and slide member 11. Also, segment elements 41, 42, 43 and 44 may be secured to and travel with head member element 30 instead of being secured to slide member 11.

Wear adjustment between the component parts is also provided in the preferred construction to compensate for wear between head 30 and slide 11. Shims may be originally provided between head blocks 31, 32 at the stud and nut connection 33. These shims may be later removed therefrom to compensate for wear between bushing halves 34 and cam 16a while other shims may be added between segment 42 and bearing plate 47 to compensate not only for this shim removal between blocks 31, 32 but also for wear on the forward and rearward sliding surfaces of gibs 37 on head 30.

Header'slidell is easily assembled into the machine frame 10. Header slide 11 has a recess 11 extending transversely of said slide across opening 11d and formed by transversely aligned recess portions in the opposite side walls around opening 11d for sliding head member 30. Recess 11f has a downwardly extending open end and has sufiicient clearance to permit assembly of slide 11 directly into the forging machine by placement downwardly onto the upwardly extending ways a, 10a and onto the combined assembly of shaft 16 and head 30 by placing the downwardly extending open end of recess 11f over shaft 16 and opening 11d over head 30. Assembly is completed by placing way caps 21, 22 downwardly onto the slide and securing them to the machine frame 10 by bolts 23. Header slide 11 has a sufficiently built-up portion 11g integrally formed therewith and located on the top of the slide opposite the downwardly extending open end of recess 11f and connecting bearing portions 11a 11b of the slide on opposite sides of recess 11f to make the slide rigid and to prevent springiness and bending, Since this built-up portion adds sufi'icient strength to the slide, no connecting tie bars are required to connect the forward and rearward ends of slide 11 under driveshaft 16. Tie bars are difiicult to assemble and disassemble since they must be secured to slide 11 from the under side of the machine after the slide has been placed over shaft 16. In the present disclosure, assembly is substantially completed by merely placing slide 11 downwardly over shaft 16 and head 30. Upon disassembly, this sequence of operations is reversed; head 30 remains in the machine assembled to drive shaft 16.

Suitable back-up means is provided for segment 42 and bearing plate 47 in Fig. 3 since they are secured together onto the slide only by screws 46 and 48. Built-up portion 11g integrally formed with the slide completely surrounds opening 11d and has inwardly extending, laterally aligned projecting plates 53 (only one shown) welded to and projecting inwardly from opposite, longitudinally extending side walls. A clamp plate 54 is located up against the lower surface of plates 53 and bridges the gap therebetween. A back-up screw 55 is threaded into plate 54 and pushes downwardly on hearing plate 47 to prevent vertical movement of the assembled segment 42 and bearing plate 47 in either the upward or downward direction.

This design permits a compact slide assembly construction having many advantages in addition to those already mentioned. Built-up slide portion-11g not only permits easy assembly but also provides adequate strength for slide 11. Since all screws have their adjustment heads uppermost, tool adjustment screw 26 and bearing backup screw 55 can be easily adjusted from the top of the machine with header slide 11 completely assembled in the machine frame 10. During machine operation, shaft 16 rotates cam 16a to reciprocate head 30 both vertically and horizontally about the shaft center so as to move header slide 11 alternately forwardly and backwardly (the parts being'shown in all views with the slide in its most advanced position). The extreme vertical positions of head 30 are indicated by the dot-dash lines B and T of Fig. 3. The built-up slide portion 11g completely surrounds the extension of opening 11d and head 30 in its upwardly extreme position T to provide a safety guard well surrounding said head in this extreme position. The well thus formed by the built-up portion also surrounds back-up screw 55 as a guard and is longitudinally aligned with the tool adjustment screw 26 to normally prevent engagement with said screw of any object accidentally dangled into the machine. A cover plate 58 in Figs. 1 and 3 is detachably secured by screws 59 over the top of the well formed by the built-up portion 11g to cover the through opening 11d and to serve as a dirt and safety guard for head 30 and the bearing surfaces thereon as well as back-up screw 55 while being easily removed from the slide to permit adjustment of these back-up screws when necessary. Coverplate 58 does not interfere in any way with the assembly or disassembly of header slide 11 on the machine frame 10 since either operation can be performed with the cover plate either removed from the slide or securely attached thereto.

Various changes in details and arrangement of parts can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from either the spirit of this invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a heavy-duty forging machine, a frame, a drive shaft-rotatably mounted in said frame, said frame having an outwardly facing way means extending transversely to said shaft, a header slide having laterally extending bearing portions thereon for reciprocating longitudinally on said way means after the slide is placed thereon, drive means operatively associated with said slide for reciprocating said slide by rotation of said transversely extending shaft, said reciprocating drive means including a transversely extending opening in said slide intermediate its ends and including a head slidably mounted in said opening and being eccentrically connected to said shaft extending through said opening so as to reciprocate said slide longitudinally upon rotation of the shaft, said slide having an open end recess communicating with said opening and having suflicient clearance to permit assembly of said slide directly into said machine by placement onto said way means and onto said shaft and head by placing the open end of said recess over said shaft and the opening over said head and having suflicient clearance to permit slide reciprocation relative to said shaft, said slide having a built up portion located opposite said open end and providing the sole portions connecting said bearing portions on opposite sides of said recess with said built-up portion being of sufficient size to make the slide rigid and to prevent springiness and bending without closing the open end of said recess after assembly to connect said bearing portions, said built-up portion extending transverse of said slide sufiiciently far on the outward side of said machine to form said opening and to surround laterally said head as a safety guard when said head is in its most extreme position from said open end with said built up portion having guard portions surrounding said head most remote from said shaft and intersecting a plane parallel to said longitudinal movement and spaced farther from said shaft than the contiguous edge of said head in said most extreme position located closest to said plane, said opening being a through opening extending completely through said slide, said slide including a bearing member lining the opening on one side to form a way for reciprocating said head and including back-up screws for said member on the outward side of said slide with said built-up portion extending transversely beyond said screws as a guard therefor with said built up portion having guard portions surrounding said back up screws most remote from said shaft with said guard portions intersecting a plane parallel to said longitudinal movement and spaced farther from said shaft than the contiguous edge of said screws closest to said plane, and a planar cover detachably mounted to said guard portions in said plane over said opening on the outward side of said machine to serve as a dirt and a safety guard while permitting removal toadjust said back-up screws said built up portion and slide structure surrounding said head as a solid wall extending away from said recess from immediately adjacent said shaft, said header slide having integrally formed said bearing portions, said built up portions, said guard portions and the walls of said recess to provide a strong construction.

2. in a forging machine, as set forth in claim 7, said opening in said slide being elongated and extending through said slide a substantial distance and having a greater width in one direction than the other and having a substantially closed perimeter about said width dimensions, said slide including at both ends of said opening, an end surface with each forming an arcuate portion of a circular cylinder with each cylinder having parallel axes extending in the direction of head reciprocation and including a bearing member at each end including segments of said cylinders nesting in said arcuate surfaces and secured to said slide, whereby each end surface may be individually machined by a rotating tool, a tool mounting recess formed in one side of said slide and having an open end and extending deep into said slide with opposite generally parallel side walls extending in the direction of slide reciprocation, the end of said tool mounting recess opposite said open end having an end surface of said tool recess forming an arcuate portion of a circular cylinder having an axis extending generally transverse to said reciprocation, a segment of said cylinder nesting in said arcuate surface of said tool recess and secured to said slide member, a slide wedge extending slidably between said walls and bearing against a Way surface on said last mentioned tool recess segment and having a leading surface extending perpendicular tothe direction of reciprocation for backing up the tool, and tool adjusting means for moving said wedge relative to said slide to advance or retract said tool, whereby the arcuate end surface of said recess is easier to machine and centers the longitudinal force exerted by the tool and the tool adjusting means permits not only adjusting said tool but also changing the tool pressure when the slide is on center.

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